The Wiz wasn’t so wonderful for Black cinema

[sup_fan]

exactly. there's a huge range of categories and genres and each has their value.

Mommie Dearest - was built out as a "serious" drama but is loved today as high camp. it's provided so much fan and audience fun

Xanadu - what a train wreck, when viewed as a traditional musical like Singing In The Rain or Sound of Music. But holy fuck lolol what a hysterical rainy-day, lounge out on the couch with a pizza and wine and laugh your head off at the clearly cocaine induced nonsense lol

[Ollie9]

exactly. there's a huge range of categories and genres and each has their value.

Mommie Dearest - was built out as a "serious" drama but is loved today as high camp. it's provided so much fan and audience fun

Xanadu - what a train wreck, when viewed as a traditional musical like Singing In The Rain or Sound of Music. But holy fuck lolol what a hysterical rainy-day, lounge out on the couch with a pizza and wine and laugh your head off at the clearly cocaine induced nonsense lol

I tend to think of Mommie-Dearest as a kind of Whatever Happened To Baby Jane. Both have huge camp appeal in being extremely theatrical.
Xanadu is indeed a train wreck. It’s so bad it’s good lol. Music is great though.
Fans have posted about 70’s audience expectations of The Wiz. I think the main expectation was the hope of seeing a decent movie. I remember showing the film to my nieces in the 90’s when they were young. They lost interest after the first 30 mins. There was simply no magic.

[RanRan79]

Fans have posted about 70’s audience expectations of The Wiz. I think the main expectation was the hope of seeing a decent movie. I remember showing the film to my nieces in the 90’s when they were young. They lost interest after the first 30 mins. There was simply no magic.

While the rest of us were mesmerized. I guess people see magic in different ways.

[Ollie9]

While the rest of us were mesmerized. I guess people see magic in different ways.

As regards the film, i can only share my own personal feelings and the reactions of friends and loved ones that i know.
The rest of us sounds like an awful lot of people, so perhaps i’m the one who has it wrong.

[Boogiedown]

As regards the film, i can only share my own personal feelings and the reactions of friends and loved ones that i know.
The rest of us sounds like an awful lot of people, so perhaps i’m the one who has it wrong.

lol!
Why Ollie, you don't purport your opinion to represent some entire 'community'!!

I can say , for myself, I'm ambivalent about The Wiz. I'm not big on musicals in general though , with an exception here and there.
I'm ready to watch it again. If it were making the rounds on the big screen, I would definitely go. That would be cool in fact...watching with an audience...if we ever get back to being able to do such things....

[Ollie9]

lol!
Why Ollie, you don't purport your opinion to represent some entire 'community'!!

I can say , for myself, I'm ambivalent about The Wiz. I'm not big on musicals in general though , with an exception here and there.
I'm ready to watch it again. If it were making the rounds on the big screen, I would definitely go. That would be cool in fact...watching with an audience...if we ever get back to being able to do such things....

I have seen it on the big screen Boogie, but in truth would probably not rush to see it again unless I was enticed. Having said that, A sing-a-long might just be fun......After a bottle of wine or two lol.

[Boogiedown]

I have seen it on the big screen Boogie, but in truth would probably not rush to see it again unless I was enticed. Having said that, A sing-a-long might just be fun......After a bottle of wine or two lol.

Ha !
Not likely to happen anyway I reckon. Boy remember when there were theatres that just ran assorted films from the past....

[RanRan79]

As regards the film, i can only share my own personal feelings and the reactions of friends and loved ones that i know.
The rest of us sounds like an awful lot of people, so perhaps i’m the one who has it wrong.

Yes, you have it wrong.

Based on the comments that make up this entire thread, I think it's safe to say that reaction to The Wiz is varied from one extreme to the other. "The rest of us" is an awful lot of people, as I too can only state my personal opinion about the film and add in the reactions of the people I personally know [[and once knew) who enjoyed it. That's who "the rest of us" referenced. Did you really think I was suggesting you and your nieces were alone in your opinion after everything others have said in this thread?

[Ollie9]

Yes, you have it wrong.

Based on the comments that make up this entire thread, I think it's safe to say that reaction to The Wiz is varied from one extreme to the other. "The rest of us" is an awful lot of people, as I too can only state my personal opinion about the film and add in the reactions of the people I personally know [[and once knew) who enjoyed it. That's who "the rest of us" referenced. Did you really think I was suggesting you and your nieces were alone in your opinion after everything others have said in this thread?

Well to be quite honest, referencing the rest of us does rather sound like everybody but me, but there you go. I believe a good or bad film is the same no matter what age you happen to be.
You mention it was natural for Diana to look scared in the movie. One of the films main failures as noted by most critics of the time was that in many of her scenes Dorothy acts like a five year old. Her reactions are those of a small child, as opposed to a scared and introverted adult.
I agree about the lighting. A good friend of mine who happens to be a lighting technician told me that who ever lit the film should be shot. Diana in particular was very badly lit on a couple of her early solos which made her look so much older.
I find the Brand New Day sequence and What Would I Do the best scenes in the film but that’s about it. Perhaps at some point in the future musical historians will be including The Wiz on their best of all time lists. I for one wont be holding my breath.

[RanRan79]

Well to be quite honest, referencing the rest of us does rather sound like everybody but me, but there you go.

I can see now how it might have come across that way. I could've worded it better. My apologies.

I believe a good or bad film is the same no matter what age you happen to be.

Each individual person is the arbiter of what good and bad in a film is. The point I made about age is that people of a certain age often cite the casting of Diana Ross in the role as a major turnoff. Many people expected Stephanie Mills to reprise the role she originated. For people like me, who were born after the film [[and from what I can tell, people who were children at the time of the film) didn't watch the movie with any expectations regarding casting. And of course we didn't watch the movie going "the lighting is off" and nitpicking issues. For us The Wiz was like the The Wizard Of Oz, a fantasy, something to get lost in. And for those of us who enjoy good music, The Wiz had plenty of that. So from my perspective there is a breakdown in how the movie is viewed between people of a certain age. Of course there were people who were adults at the time of original release who loved the movie, just like there are people born after the movie's release who loathe it. There isn't an absolute here.

You mention it was natural for Diana to look scared in the movie. One of the films main failures as noted by most critics of the time was that in many of her scenes Dorothy acts like a five year old. Her reactions are those of a small child, as opposed to a scared and introverted adult.

In what way specifically? I just don't see it the way it's been criticized. I imagine myself in the same position, and I'm not sorry to say but if there were talking scarecrows and tin men, lions bursting out of sculptures, flying, funky monkeys, some weird dude with inflatable pink jesters, pillars breaking off from the rest of the building to swallow me up, singing, dancing graffiti, and I had killed- even accidentally- someone I had never met, even if she was a witch, I'd be somewhere curled up crying for my mama. No lie. No joke. And did I mention there was a big ass witch chasing after her? I don't understand what fault there was in her reaction. If anything it wasn't as realistic as it should have been, which would have definitely been to react as a five year old.

Perhaps at some point in the future musical historians will be including The Wiz on their best of all time lists. I for one wont be holding my breath.

I wouldn't ask you to hold your breath, but I would remind you that the way history is viewed often changes. And if my theory is correct, that the love/hate ratio of The Wiz is broken down by year of birth, in the future there will be a great many musical/movie historians who hold The Wiz in high regard. Not to mention that they all have opinions and assholes like the rest of us. One weighs no more than any other.